Step Falls

Step Falls last week.

Bunny

A rabbit in the yard last week. I really haven't been out much, nowhere to go anymore. It would be nice if the city would pass an ordinance against poisoning rabbits and squirrels.

Sackett School Fire

Thirty-six years ago today Sackett School was destroyed in an arson fire. Article from the Plain Dealer, May 30, 1984.

Track Equipment

We spotted more track equipment recently, by the Iron Furnace spur and by the trolley shed. Looks like it'll be a big summer of trackwork.

Bogart Court

A couple views along Bogart Court from last week. Velvet Elvis is such a cool place, hope it re-opens soon.

Rockwell Spa

An amusing tale. Years ago, we lived on 24th Street, a few doors down, at 1420, was the Rockwell Spa, an obvious front for prostitution. It was in operation for a number of years in the 70's and 80's, maybe even earlier. They kept a low profile, the building was painted grey, the address and a lone light bulb was the only sign of life. Occasionally we'd see customers come and go, often by taxi, it was a pretty discrete operation, we lived there for a few months and my wife's brother was visiting, July 1987, we had told him we lived on a quiet street. Suddenly, tons of activity outside, big commotion, police were there, along with the telly news, and they were hauling the girls away. The police saw the out of state plates on my brother-in-law's car, and were looking it over closely for several minutes, before they were satisfied it wasn't connected. Later we found out one of the owners was a lieutenant on the police force, no wonder it went untouched for years. The place never re-opened, but for years afterwards, usually late at night, taxi's would still drop guys off there. I'd always chuckle and tell the Missus, "another disappointed customer."

Usually found in the sports pages, Plain Dealer, October 11, 1983.

The building is still there, from a visit to the old hood, October 26, 2018. This was a pocket neighborhood on the fringe of downtown, cut off from the eastern part of town by the dreaded interstate highway system, I-71,77,90, combined in this case, the "Innerbelt." Heading the other way, the heart of town, theatres, ballpark, etc., was just a fifteen-minute walk away. Some of the houses are still there, a lot of them were gone now.

Decoration Day

Years ago we used to go to the Decoration Day ceremony at Lake View Cemetery. Below from the Plain Dealer, May 30, 1944.

Statue dedicated to Flight Officer Eddie Sadler at Cathedral Latin HS, from Flying High, undated. Wonder what happened to the statue after the school closed?

Stafford Meadow Brook

We stopped by Stafford Meadow Brook, by the south end of the Laurel Line Tunnel, last weekend.

Scranton Times

The Scranton Times building at Penn Avenue & Spruce Street.

Scranton National Bank

A part of the covering peeled back on the SNB building, revealing part of the original sign.

Lindbergh

Ninety-three years ago today Charles Lindbergh completed his non-stop flight to Paris. Big news everywhere, and a special program at the Allen.

Above from the Plain Dealer, May 22, 1927.

South Scranton Skyline

View from the Spruce Street Complex.

Wyoming Avenue

Wyoming Avenue on Saturday afternoon. Saw some skaters, but they moved pretty fast.

Scranton Iron Furnaces

Stopped by the Iron Furnaces the other day, looks like the benches were vandalized since we were last here.

Harrison Avenue

Harrison Avenue, looking north from near Roslyn Street a couple weeks ago. Unlike many communities, Scranton doesn't seem to have an ordinance about when you can put out your trash for pick-up. There's places that have their trash out front 24/7/365 and it doesn't seen to be a problem.

Stop Look and Listen

Old railroad warning sign, Titusville Penna., last spring.

Algrunix Building

The Algrunix Building constructed in 1894 at the corner of West Spring & Washington Streets, downtown Titusville Penna., from last spring.

Lackawanna Avenue Clock

The Lackawanna Avenue Clock still isn't working, must have been an optical illusion we saw a few months ago. We used to have a mayor, but she apparently has turned into a bot that spits out the name of a restaurant that is still open, once a day. Other than that, she's pretty much MIA.

Track Equipment

Track equipment along Ridge Row on Sunday afternoon. Looks like another summer of track upgrades is about to commence.

Doorway

An old doorway along Ridge Row.

226-228 Prescott Avenue

The once attractive building at 226-228 Prescott Avenue is turning into an eyesore. The city forced the occupants out, and now it sits empty, with tall grass. City corruption at its finest. Eventually this will property will become part of the land bank that a corrupt councilman is pushing for.

Fitzpatrick Field

A deserted Fitzpatrick Field on the UofS campus last week, usually quite the active space this time of year.

Zion Lutheran Church

Zion Lutheran Church at 2062 E 30th Street, at Prospect, built in 1902. The congregation was originally formed in 1843 and was in several prior locations. This church was one of the founding members of the Missouri Synod in 1845. On Christmas Eve, 1851 Rev. Heinrich Schwan brought a candle-lit tree into the sanctuary, purported to be the first Christmas Tree in North America, quite controversial at the time. The adjacent school has been closed for years.